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I hope that made sense...
Prefacing that I am not a demo so I guess I am stingyer(?) with my cardstock. What is your preference on card making? Do you just use a 1/4 sheet of colored cs as your base and build up from there and back it with a white card? I was just curious as I did that with most of my Christmas cards but hoped it didn't look "cheap". Also, how do you store your scraps and what is considered too small a scrap to save? I feel like a packrat sometimes with the teeny pieces I can't part with.
Y'all have a great day!!
__________________
Jackie G. (aka Jacquita) SCSmember #656
Write your sorrows in sand and your blessings in stone.
I generally use a colored 1/4 sheet of card stock as my backer. Then use a lighter color or white card stock as my folded card, with layers on top of that... Hope I am explaining that right...
Okay, I'll admit I'm a packrat :oops: but sorry Jackie, I still haven't come up with a good way to store my scraps.Some are in boxes (if you do market day at your school , some of those boxes are great. Because the food is frozen they are usually clean. They open like a take out pizza box). Lately I've taken to putting them in with my full size sheets of the same color. I was really bummed when SU! changed the way they packaged their paper. The old packaging was much sturdier. Eventually I hope to convert them all to larger ziplock bags.Some of my friends sort by size. I like to sort by color cause it doesn't take as long to check it out. HTH
Have a great day :!:
I, too, use white or ecru as the folded part of the card and a 1/4 sheet of colored as the front, then layer and play from there. I keep scraps that may be bigger than 1" square. I really do need to go through my scrap folders and weed out some because they'll never be used. One of these days..... Have a great weekend.
I use either white or colored cardstock as my folded piece depending on what looks better.
To save scraps, I use 5 small ("check size") accordion files (the kind that expand as you add stuff to them). I use one for each color family and a fifth one for my neutrals and specialty papers.
I just saw these accordion files in the $1 spot section of Target last night. They'll hold up to a half sheet of cardstock when it's 5 1/2 x 8 1/2.
I actually got this idea from one of my customers.
I usually use folded cardstock instead of cardfronts mounted on white or vanilla. I am frugal too but I like the look it gives. As for my scraps no scrap is too small! I currently keep them in the package with the full size sheets. If the package gets torn too badly I put it all into a craft keeper I got at Michaels. I eventualy want to get a skinny binder and page protectors for each color family, plus neutrals. One page protector will hold two different colors and yet keep them separate. I say eventually because I am frugal and I "need" so many other things first. lol.
For scraps I use half sized file folders and have a Rubbermaid or off brand plastic tote that holds file folders. I have it sorted by colors, all pinks mixed in togethere, etc. Works great when I need just a smidgen of the same color as I am too type A personality to cut a whole sheet for a 2x2 square
Jackie, I am a demo but I am still frugal. Most of the time I like the white as my card. I like it for writing inside. And I think it makes the card stand out. Sometimes I,ll sponge the edges to soften the look. Also I have the sizzix die machine and they have a rectangle that I use to take out the middle of the 1/4 sheet if I'm going to layer over it. So I,ll use white card 5.5 by 4.25 layer 1: 5 3/8 by 4 1/8 with the middle punched out layer2: 5 2/8 by 4. then I'll use the punched out part as a tag or save for other use. So I guess you'd say that I am very frugal.
Cher
I've started immediately getting rid of those skinny strips that come from trimming a card front down for mounting it on a quarter sheet (4.25 x 5.5). At first I thought I'd try weaving them like I've seen on a couple of card designs, but eventually one has to be realistic! Also, any piece smaller than 2" square is pretty much too small for stamping on (even with the tiny stamps), and how often do we really use them as accent color pieces! I say if we do find one day we want one of those little pieces -- trim one off a bigger one!
Currently I keep my scraps in little baggies by color family, and the larger scraps (1/4 to 1/2 a sheet in a separate gallon-size baggie. I'm converting over to a great idea I found here on SCS, though, that uses a photo box with dividers for the colors. [/i]
__________________ Rachel Proud SU! demo and Sci-Fi Geek!
My Stampin' Up! blog "I'm a time traveler -- I point and laugh at archaeologists." 10th Doctor, "Silence in the Library"
OMG :shock: Chyrl... this is the best idea ever!! Using the die cut machine to punch out the middle of your layered cards... talk about saving on CS!! However, the investment in the die cut machine will probably cost me more than all the CS I will ever save, but I love the idea!! And I love tags so this would be perfect for making more tags!!
Will be watching for sizzix sales and/or holding onto 50% off coup's!!
Ooops- Jackie, I also meant to say that I use white as my folded card many, many times!! I only use colored CS once in awhile if it is from the subtles family.
The folded part of my card is usually white as well and I build up from there.
As for scraps...I have never been a big scrap keeper but I have been trying to save them lately. I "organize" by size....large in one drawer, small in another. Every now and again if I haven't even gone into the drawers in awhile I will do a quick sort and give them smaller scraps to my kids. They will spend hours gluing them to paper "as is" and making designs. I also give them my scraps off my rubber when I cut the stamps out.....they love it!
I now make full cards. I used to just make card fronts, but found that when my sets retired, I would remake the cards to send out for personal use. I figure that I am further ahead to just make the card!
I store all my scraps in accordian files by colours[/size]
Question, when you are involved in a front only card swap, do you use a quarter page, and if so, when you receive your swap, do you cut that quarter page card front that someone else has made down by, say, 1/8 inch on all sides and adhere it to a folded white card, or do you not cut it down and just adhere it to the front of the folded white card? As for my scraps, I have been keeping like colors together also, but once in a while I think I will never make myself use the scraps and I will put them all together in a box that I intend to give to my 7 year old granddaughter who calls herself a scrapbooker. Too cute.
__________________ Patti Karpenko
"The better part of one's life consists of his friendships." A. Lincoln
I save all my cardstock scraps (larger than 2") in a gallon-size Ziploc bag, "arranged" in color families. I also save smaller scraps (especially the punched part when you use your square punch - great for framing small images), in another Ziploc for use with punches or small cut-outs, tags and frames. And I agree with row4d about having to draw the line somewhere and not saving those "skinny strips" - although I do hang on to the metallic ones (somehow I can't part with them; they're more costly). I'm sure that some day, one of our talented SCSers will upload some gorgeous cards using skinny strips and I'll kick myself, but storage space is an issue for me. The "box" idea really sounds great, but I'm thinking a box would take up more space than my "squishable" Ziploc.
As for cards, I frequently use folded white on top of a colored quarter-sheet base. That way, the colored base frames the card nicely and you can stamp & write more easily on the white. I almost always do full-size cards so that I can actually use them when needed, since I'm not a demo.
__________________ Linda
”From the rising of the sun to its setting,the name of the Lord is to be praised!”
My mother gave me their computer desk(it's the kind tha goes in the corner and is about 5' on each side), it has two hanging file drawers, I have hanging files that hold 3 colors (each in their own manila file folders), the bottom drawer has the neutrals, earth elements and bold brights the top has rich regals, soft stubtles, and specialities like vellum, gold, etc. and only my SU paper goes in there. I put my scraps (no smaller than about 2 inches) right in with the folder with full sheets of same color. My none SU paper is in stacking organizers on my desk near computer. I run a day care and as they say out of sight out of mind (I would rather the kids us the non SU so I make sure they don't see the SU)
Katie
__________________
"Someone is always doing what somebody else said couldn't be done."-Anonymous
"Life consists not in holding good cards, but in playing well those you do hold."-Josh Billings
I had tried different ways of keeping my scraps but now I am putting my scraps with the same color cardstock and I like this solution the best. I have hanging file folders - one for each SU color - and just put the scraps back in there. I find that I am much more apt to use them this way because it's right there with the color I need where as when I had the scraps in a seperate place I would forget to look there first. I throw out smaller colored cardstock (less than 1" or so) because usually the colors I use to mat with and so tend need bigger pieces but I do have a scrap box with just US white in it because there are all those little word stamps now that you just need a little scrap to stamp one word on. HTH
I personally keep sandwich sized ziplocks in the file folder with each color cardstock. That's what I keep scraps in.....keeps them all together. I do have a plastic box with a lid that I was using but it's too jumbled together so I need to sort through that ... or just turf it ...
And I keep those little pieces too...I have a paper piecing punch and that's why!
(oh - and I usually use colored CS for the folded piece of card )
__________________ ~Debbi~
Though no one can go back and make a brand new start, anyone can start from now and make a brand new ending. ~Author Unknown
I always use coloured cs for the main part of my cards and layer from there. I found the white cs I have is not sturdy enough to hold up to layers and I figure this saves a layer by doing the colour first. With dark cs, like on many Christmas cards, I had the verse on vanilla or a light cs and fastened it in. I left room at the bottom to sign our names.
I have seen some lovely text weight papers with fancy edges used as inserts that have been beautiful too. One of those Fiscars edgers may be in my future!
Meldan had a great rubbermade type take along hanging file folder - which I thought was A GREAT IDEA!
I went out and bought 2 - one for SU and one for Non SU paper. I put manilla folders in with each color R,O,Y,G,B,Pink,Purple, Brown, Grey, Black, Vanilla/Cream, White & GLossy, & stamped scraps.
Then I put that next to me when I need a scrap of this or that. I know what color I need - they are all in the file - if there are scraps.
The 12x12s I have in a 12x12 accordian folder and the 8.5 x11 I have in these nice wicker file folders on top of my stamp shelf. I also have some rolling file folders with white, cream, confetti, and generic stuff the kids can stamp with....
I cannot wait to get a stamping room so that I can have a work station which will allow me to keep everything in one room - right now - it is all in my office - but I prefer to stamp on my DR table and spread things out - I usually have one or two kids stamping with me - so we need the space to stamp....
this is something I have never really thought about (card fronts vs full cards) because I guess I just thought one always used the "background" color as the whole card - well DUH!! Now I can save so much CS!!! How dumb of me to not think of this!!!! I think it is a great idea & not frugal or cheap - I think it adds more to the card & allows you to write inside easier - that is really nice!!! I usually (if the card was really dark like navy) would put a thin sheet of paper (nicer then comp. paper maybe with some speckels or something from a stationary store) cut just slightly smaller then the inside of the card and stamp the words on that & then you could write on it too. Well this is going to save me so much $$$!! & now that I am a demo. I can use ALL SU papers & not worry about my customers seeing all the great papers at the stationary stores when they go to buy the "thin" sheets!
Now, I have a question.... do you make the fronts still 1/4 a sheet or do you cut them down slightly so the white/vanilla shows? or do you just use a layer somewhere inthere of the lighter full card color to bring it all together?
as for scraps, I have a drawer specifically for scraps right now that has little boxes (actually the tubs from my DS's bum wipes!) stacked and I put one color family in each for the small pieces. anything bigger then 3-4" gets put in the file with the color.
Sometimes I'll layer the full 1/4 sheet CS onto the white full card and sometimes I'll cut it down a little so part of the white shows. It just depends on what the final product is to look like. (Since I am creative-challenged, rarely do I create a card of my own so I have a CASE'd one to look at while I'm making mine:>)
I've started immediately getting rid of those skinny strips that come from trimming a card front down for mounting it on a quarter sheet (4.25 x 5.5). At first I thought I'd try weaving them like I've seen on a couple of card designs, but eventually one has to be realistic! [/i]
my upline has started taking those skinny strips and putting them through the xyron machine to use as border strips for scrapbook pages (instead of using those mrs. grossman's and other pricy stickers). i thought it was a great idea! she also the slightly thicker strips on the inside of a card so that she can trim the front with fancy stickers and have the strip of color showing beneath. does that make sense?
I've been saving my scraps in a 4x6 photo album. I printed labels with each of the color names + u.s. white and vanilla and stuck them on each page so that I'll have the scraps stored by color family (I can be a bit obsessive :oops: ).
This has worked really well, but now I need to start using all of those scraps because my album is being held shut with a rubberband !!! :oops: Also, there isn't enough space for any other colors, so I need to find an album with more pages.
Does anyone have any suggestions for quick ways to use up my scraps ?!? I use the thin strips and run them through my crimper for filler for goodie bags and I use the larger ones with punches or as mats, but I want to come up with more ideas or more creative ways of using scraps.
I cannot believe it! This is the first time I have heard about just using 1/4 sheets with a white or light colored folded card. I never even thought about it. It sure make sense with neutrals being so much cheaper.
I did not have a clue, wow, what a site, I am always learning something here. Thank you all so much for all that I have learned over the months. I am home alone all during the day and really have no one else that stamps with me or to get ideas from. I get my ideas and learn my techniques and tricks from this site. You are all the greatest!
I cannot believe it! This is the first time I have heard about just using 1/4 sheets with a white or light colored folded card. I never even thought about it. It sure make sense with neutrals being so much cheaper.
I did not have a clue, wow, what a site, I am always learning something here. Thank you all so much for all that I have learned over the months. I am home alone all during the day and really have no one else that stamps with me or to get ideas from. I get my ideas and learn my techniques and tricks from this site. You are all the greatest!
I agree with HeatherJ. I used to make cards with white cardstock as the folded part of the card, but it just seems a little bit too flimsy for me. So now I always use the colored cardstock for the main part of the card. Sometimes, if the card is done in a very dark color I will attach a piece of white cardstock that I can write on in the middle of the card.
I'm a demo, but even before I became one, I prefer to use whatever c/s is my "base" color for my card. If it's black, then I put something on the inside that can be written on. It's a personal thing, because I just don't care for the look of a card front attached to white or vanilla c/s. Does that make sense? I don't mind getting cards like that in swaps or as RAKS, I just don't like them for myself.
As for my scrap--I keep EVERYTHING!! I have all my scraps tossed together in a shoe box right now. I have high hopes of using them like the piecing punch and decorating cards with them, but haven't yet.
maybe that should be a card challenge (I've been spending a lot of time looking at the card challenges)--USE YOUR SCRAPS on a card!
For scraps--Over the years I have developed a system that seems to work for me and where I actually USE the scraps. I have my stock right next to me in one of those grid office paper organizers, with one to three colors per opening. Half sheets stay in with the whole sheets. On my desk in front of me I have a baby shoe box, with scraps from 1/4sheet to about 2x3, arranged from whites/neutrals through the spectrum to metallics, but not in PERFECT order, just all the pinks together ect....Then I have shoe box tops tucked into the organizers that have the odd strips and bitty size scraps, but these I have just by colors, all the purples including vellum, printed stock, backrounds I've stamped....
I find that now I actually will "browse" through the scrap boxtops for an idea, and I'll know right where a piece big enough to layer is (in the shoe box in front of me...) and I know where all my half sheets are. After 5 years of stamping with SU, this is the best for me. When I kept the scraps in the hanging folder, I found it hard to dig through the scraps. If it ain't easy, I ain't doing it! :shock: :shock:
As for whole cards, I'll often use the colored stock for the front, and then one of the naturals for the inside. But I am so frugal (oh ok--cheap!) that I will either cut the colored stock about 1/4 inch past the fold and then insert a 1/4 sheet inside, and then mono the strip around the back, or the other way around if I didn't think of it first or am correcting a mistake. But sometimes the front gets so heavy that then the card is "unbalanced" so then I'll paste a pretty contrasting piece inside to dress it up (and then I'm using double sided tape to add to the weight of that side of the card... :shock: ) Ok as I'm typing this I'm seeing that I'm cheap and anal! But oh well!
If this doesn't make sense I'll post a pix if requested!
mj
I used to be very careful about just using colored cardstock for card fronts, then attaching to a neutral card. But then I realized that half that neutral card is wasted underneath the card front, AND it takes so much adhesive to attach it. I'm in Canada and we canNOT get the cheap Viking mono refills , so I'm quite stingy with my mono. I didn't think I was saving that much in the long run by attaching card fronts to neutral paper, so now I just use whatever looks best. Especially at a workshop - some ladies don't realize and use tons of adhesive.
I used to be very careful about just using colored cardstock for card fronts, then attaching to a neutral card. But then I realized that half that neutral card is wasted underneath the card front, AND it takes so much adhesive to attach it. I'm in Canada and we canNOT get the cheap Viking mono refills , so I'm quite stingy with my mono. I didn't think I was saving that much in the long run by attaching card fronts to neutral paper, so now I just use whatever looks best. Especially at a workshop - some ladies don't realize and use tons of adhesive.
I also think the white cs is a little flimsy once you layer it so I use the colored cs. The difference in price is not that much when you break it down. If it is dark, sometimes I use a gel pen to write my message.
My scraps are in a big plastic box, probably not the most organized method but it works for me right now.
Also, I save the "skinny strips" and use them to make "paper bows" when I don't have the right color ribbon available.
I also think the white cs is a little flimsy once you layer it so I use the colored cs. The difference in price is not that much when you break it down. If it is dark, sometimes I use a gel pen to write my message.
My scraps are in a big plastic box, probably not the most organized method but it works for me right now.
Also, I save the "skinny strips" and use them to make "paper bows" when I don't have the right color ribbon available.
I also think the white cs is a little flimsy once you layer it so I use the colored cs. The difference in price is not that much when you break it down. If it is dark, sometimes I use a gel pen to write my message.
My scraps are in a big plastic box, probably not the most organized method but it works for me right now.
Also, I save the "skinny strips" and use them to make "paper bows" when I don't have the right color ribbon available.
For scraps--Over the years I have developed a system that seems to work for me and where I actually USE the scraps. I have my stock right next to me in one of those grid office paper organizers, with one to three colors per opening. Half sheets stay in with the whole sheets. On my desk in front of me I have a baby shoe box, with scraps from 1/4sheet to about 2x3, arranged from whites/neutrals through the spectrum to metallics, but not in PERFECT order, just all the pinks together ect....Then I have shoe box tops tucked into the organizers that have the odd strips and bitty size scraps, but these I have just by colors, all the purples including vellum, printed stock, backrounds I've stamped....
I find that now I actually will "browse" through the scrap boxtops for an idea, and I'll know right where a piece big enough to layer is (in the shoe box in front of me...) and I know where all my half sheets are. After 5 years of stamping with SU, this is the best for me. When I kept the scraps in the hanging folder, I found it hard to dig through the scraps. If it ain't easy, I ain't doing it! :shock: :shock:
As for whole cards, I'll often use the colored stock for the front, and then one of the naturals for the inside. But I am so frugal (oh ok--cheap!) that I will either cut the colored stock about 1/4 inch past the fold and then insert a 1/4 sheet inside, and then mono the strip around the back, or the other way around if I didn't think of it first or am correcting a mistake. But sometimes the front gets so heavy that then the card is "unbalanced" so then I'll paste a pretty contrasting piece inside to dress it up (and then I'm using double sided tape to add to the weight of that side of the card... :shock: ) Ok as I'm typing this I'm seeing that I'm cheap and anal! But oh well!
If this doesn't make sense I'll post a pix if requested!
mj
Card fronts vs. Folded cards
) that I haven't been able to touch my stamps for over a week now !!! 
Now that is a really neat idea!! 
